OpenAI has recently acquired Multi, a startup focused on enterprise-oriented, video-first collaboration. This move follows closely on the heels of OpenAI’s acquisition of Rockset, a database technology firm. According to sources, this acquisition is technically an acqui-hire, with most of Multi’s team, comprising around five members, set to join OpenAI post-acquisition.
Multi’s CEO and co-founder, Alexander Embiricos, announced that Multi will cease operations after July 24. In a blog post, Embiricos expressed gratitude to Multi’s users, highlighting the learning experience gained through their feedback.
Multi’s Original Vision
Multi, founded by Embiricos, an ex-Dropbox product manager, and Charley Ho, an ex-Google software engineer, aimed to enhance remote team collaboration through video chats. The platform featured collaborative screen sharing for up to 10 users, customizable shortcuts, and automatic deep links for various documents and code.
Prior to this acquisition, Multi had secured $13 million in funding from investors, including Greylock and First Round Capital, as per Crunchbase data. This acquisition aligns with OpenAI’s recent strategy of bolstering its enterprise solutions. OpenAI’s corporate tier of ChatGPT, its AI-powered chatbot platform, has nearly 600,000 users, with 93% of Fortune 500 companies included.
OpenAI’s Revenue Projections and Future Plans
In recent months, OpenAI has entered into an agreement with PwC to resell its tools to other businesses and launched a business-oriented custom AI model tuning and consulting program. OpenAI’s revenue is projected to surpass $3.4 billion this year, demonstrating the success of its enterprise-focused strategy.
The acquisition of Multi suggests potential enhancements to OpenAI’s offerings, possibly integrating videoconferencing and remote collaboration capabilities into future versions of ChatGPT, aligning with the company’s enterprise goals.
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Featured Image courtesy of DADO RUVIC/REUTERS